This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-210281 filed in Japan on Jul. 11, 2001, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shoplifting monitoring apparatus for preventing or deterring an article (monitoring target article) from being shoplifted.
The present invention also relates to an attachment unit that is utilized in the shoplifting monitoring apparatus and to be attached to the monitoring target article.
2. Description of Related Art
A wide variety of shoplifting monitoring apparatus have been proposed for preventing or deterring an article (goods), e.g., on display in a shop, from being shoplifted.
For example, such a shoplifting monitoring apparatus as follows has been proposed. The apparatus is provided with an attachment unit to be attached to the article. The attachment unit includes a switch having a movable piece and a contact that is opened or closed in accordance with a position of the movable piece. An alarm is issued based on the open-closed state of the contact of the switch.
In this shoplifting monitoring apparatus, the alarm is issued when the removal of the attachment unit from the article is detected by the switch. The switch detects whether the attachment unit is attached to the article or not in the following manner. In the switch, the movable piece is supported such that the movable piece can move between an inside and outside of the attachment surface, to be attached to the article, of the attachment unit, and is biased to project outward from the attachment surface. The contact of the switch is in a closed state when the movable piece is pushed toward the inside of the attachment surface, and is in an open state when the movable piece projects outward from the attachment surface due to the biasing force. The attachment unit is to be attached to the article, e.g., with a double-sided adhesive tape, such that the movable piece is pushed toward the inside of the attachment surface, in other words, such that the contact of the switch takes the closed state. When the attachment unit is removed from the article, the movable piece is projected outward from the attachment surface by the biasing force so that the contact of the switch becomes open. According to this, the removal of the attachment unit from the article is detected by the switch. Based on information detected by the switch, the alarm is issued.
In the above shoplifting monitoring apparatus, however, the alarm is not issued if the attachment unit is removed from the article after the movable piece is held not to project outward from the attachment surface by a thin plate, e.g., a cutting knife or a resin plate, inserted between the article and the attachment unit, more specifically, after the movable piece is held such that the contact of the switch does not become open even when the attachment unit is removed from the article. If such malicious act described above is conducted, it will be difficult for a shop staff to notice the shoplifting of the article, and thereby it will be difficult to prevent the shoplifting of the article.
It is an object of the invention to provide a shoplifting monitoring apparatus which can suppress such a situation that a movable piece of a switch, which is provided for detecting whether an attachment unit is attached to the monitoring target article or not, is held not to move toward an outside of an attachment surface by a thin plate even if the thin plate is inserted between the attachment unit and the article.
It is another object of the invention to provide a shoplifting monitoring apparatus which can issue an alarm before the movable piece of the switch is held, by the thin plate inserted between the attachment unit and the article, not to move toward the outside of the attachment surface.
It is further another object of the invention to provide an attachment unit utilized in the shoplifting monitoring apparatus and to be attached to the article, more specifically to provide the attachment unit which can suppress such a situation that a movable piece of a switch is held not to move toward an outside of an attachment surface by a thin plate inserted between the attachment unit and the article.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an attachment unit which can detect the insertion of the thin plate before the movable piece of the switch is held not to move toward the outside of the attachment surface if the thin plate is inserted between the attachment unit and the article.
(1) SHOPLIFTING MONITORING APPARATUS
The invention provides a shoplifting monitoring apparatus including:
(A) an attachment unit to be attached to an article such that a predetermined attachment surface of the attachment unit faces the article, the attachment unit including:
(A1) a switch provided for;detecting whether the attachment unit is attached to the article or not, the switch including:
(A11) a movable piece biased toward an outside of the attachment surface; and
(A12) a contact that is in an open state or a closed state in accordance with a position of the movable piece, the contact being in the closed state when the movable piece is pushed toward an inside of the attachment surface so that the movable piece is located at an inside of a predetermined standard position, the contact being in the open state when the movable piece is located at the predetermined standard position or at an outside of the predetermined standard position; and
(A2) a sleeve member having a sleeve portion that surrounds an end portion of the movable piece when the attachment unit is attached to the article, the end portion of the movable piece facing the article when the attachment unit is attached to the article; and
(B) an alarm device issuing an alarm based on information detected by the switch; wherein.
the attachment unit is to be attached to the article such that the movable piece is pushed by the article toward the inside of the attachment surface, and thereby the contact of the switch is in the closed state;
each of the sleeve member and the switch is supported such that each of the sleeve member and the switch can move in a direction from the inside toward the outside of the attachment surface and in a reverse direction thereof;
the switch moves together with the sleeve member toward the inside of the attachment surface when the sleeve member is pushed toward the inside of the attachment surface; and
the alarm device issues the alarm at least when the contact of the switch is in the open state.
(2) ATTACHMENT UNIT
The invention also provides an attachment unit utilized in a shoplifting monitoring apparatus and to be attached to an article such that a predetermined attachment surface of the attachment unit faces the article.
The attachment unit includes:
(A) a switch provided for detecting whether the attachment. unit is attached to the article or not, the switch including:
(A1) a movable piece biased toward an outside of the attachment surface; and
(A2) a contact that is in an open state or a closed state in accordance with a position of the movable piece, the contact being in the closed state when the movable piece is pushed toward an inside of the attachment surface so that the movable piece is located at an inside of a predetermined standard position, the contact being in the open state when the movable piece is located at the predetermined standard position or at an outside of the predetermined standard position; and
(B) a sleeve member having a sleeve portion that surrounds an end portion of the movable piece when the attachment unit is attached to the article, the end portion of the movable piece facing the article when the attachment unit is attached to the article; wherein
the attachment unit is to be attached to the article such that the movable piece is pushed by the article toward the inside of the attachment surface, and thereby the contact of the switch is in the closed state;
each of the sleeve member and the switch is supported such that each of the sleeve member and the switch can move in a direction from the inside toward the outside of the attachment surface and in a reverse direction thereof; and
the switch moves together with the sleeve member toward the inside of the attachment surface when the sleeve member is pushed toward the inside of the attachment surface.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.